Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Theze Chocolates Be Poppin'!

I took it upon myself to pose a sugar challenge to...myself. In the mood for something sweet 'n new to my tastebuds, I stopped at a local gas station on the way home from work yesterday to peruse its selection of candy. The only treat I had never tried? The "poppin' tinglin' chocolate" of Wonka Tinglerz.

Now, my friend Holly and I long ago decided that the letter "z" makes any word instantly cooler, so this is what ultimately convinced me to buy this new, mysterious chocolate. I say mysterious because there was no indication as to what makes the chocolate tingle or pop. Until, that is, I looked at the fine print. Turns out that Mr. Wonka's magic ingredient is carbon dioxide!

I generally prefer my chocolate in bigger, more chewable and satisfying chunks, but I really enjoyed my Tinglerz once I adjusted to the sounds of, well, snapping, crackling, and popping emanating from inside my head--what I imagine it would sound like if my teeth had completely rotted and were slowly cracking apart and dissolving in my mouth (which would most likely be due to overconsumption of sugar, in my case). This sound was quite unsettling at first, as you can imagine.

The most accurate description of Tinglerz I can offer: they resemble Wonka Nerds, taste like Nestle Buncha Crunch, and have the same effect as Pop Rocks. The poppin' (not so much tinglin') effect is limited to the auditory. Actually chewing a Tingler doesn't feel any differently than eating traditional chocolate, really--still an exzhilirating experience in and of itself, though.

Speaking of z's, my next mission is to find the elusive Wazoo candy bar. A bodega near where I work used to sell them apparently (I spotted an empty box on their shelf this morning). Wazoo is one of my absolute favorite words, and the description of the bar makes it seem like a dream come true: a chewy, fruity candy sprinkled with crunches!! Rumor has it that I can find it at Economy Candy on Rivington Street. Cross your fingerz I can track it down!